Strategic Narratives and Coherence in EU Foreign Policy: A Comparative Analysis of EU Responses to Ukraine and Gaza
Author
da Cruz, Benjamina Eyram
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Abstract
This thesis investigates how strategic narratives shape the coherence of the European Union’s foreign policy responses to international crises, focusing on a comparison between the EU’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its response to the Israel/Gaza crisis following Hamas’ attacks in 2023. It departs from the argument that EU foreign policy is not determined solely by material interests or formal commitments to liberal norms such as human rights, sovereignty and international law, but also by how crises are narrated and made politically meaningful. The study employs a qualitative comparative case study based primarily on official EU documents, including European Council conclusions, Council of the EU materials and statements by key EU actors, supplemented with selected news and policy sources to trace contestation and disagreement. Methodologically, it combines strategic narrative analysis with framing analysis, using four analytical categories: problem representation, actor positioning and responsibility, normative framing and policy orientation. The analysis finds that the EU’s response to Russia/Ukraine is characterised by a high degree of narrative alignment: Russia is consistently framed as the aggressor, Ukraine as the victim and European partner, and the crisis as a violation of sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law, supporting a relatively coherent policy of sanctions against Russia and extensive political, humanitarian, economic and military support to Ukraine. By contrast, the EU’s response to Israel/Gaza relies on a more cautious and fragmented narrative structure in which the crisis is simultaneously framed in terms of terrorism, self-defence, humanitarian catastrophe, regional instability and the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict; Hamas is clearly condemned while Israel’s right to self-defence is recognised but continually conditioned on respect for international law and civilian protection. This more complex narrative makes responsibility and the prioritisation of norms less straightforward and limits the degree of common policy positions. The thesis concludes that strategic narratives act as organising frameworks that connect crisis interpretations, actors, norms and policy choices, thereby influencing whether norm contestation can be contained within a shared interpretation or manifests as competing constructions of meaning; in doing so, it shows that EU foreign policy coherence depends not only on shared values, but also on the narrative work through which these values are interpreted, prioritised and translated into action.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan strategiske fortællinger påvirker sammenhængen i EU’s udenrigspolitiske kriserespons med fokus på EU’s reaktioner på henholdsvis Ruslands invasion af Ukraine og krisen i Gaza efter Hamas’ angreb i 2023. Udgangspunktet er, at EU’s udenrigspolitik ikke kun formes af materielle interesser og formelle normer om menneskerettigheder, suverænitet og international ret, men også af den måde, kriser fortolkes og meningsgøres gennem politiske narrativer. Specialet bygger på et kvalitativt, komparativt casestudie baseret primært på officielle EU-dokumenter, herunder Det Europæiske Råds konklusioner, materialer fra Rådet for Den Europæiske Union samt udtalelser fra centrale EU-aktører, suppleret af udvalgte nyheds- og policydokumenter for at identificere spor af uenighed. Metodisk kombinerer analysen strategisk narrativeanalyse og framinganalyse og arbejder med fire analytiske kategorier: problemrepræsentation, aktørpositionering og ansvar, normativ indramning og politisk orientering. Analysen viser, at EU’s respons på Ruslands invasion af Ukraine er præget af høj narrativ tilpasning, hvor Rusland konsekvent fremstilles som aggressor, Ukraine som offer og europæisk partner, og krisen som et klart brud på suverænitet og folkeret, hvilket understøtter en relativt sammenhængende politik baseret på sanktioner mod Rusland og omfattende støtte til Ukraine. Omvendt fremstår EU’s respons på Israel/Gaza mere forsigtig og fragmenteret, idet krisen samtidigt indrammes som terrorisme, selvforsvar, humanitær katastrofe, regional ustabilitet og en uafklaret konflikt mellem israelere og palæstinensere; Hamas fordømmes tydeligt, mens Israels ret til selvforsvar anerkendes, men løbende betinges af krav om overholdelse af international ret og beskyttelse af civile. Denne komplekse fortælling gør ansvarsplacering og normprioritering mindre entydig og begrænser graden af politisk samling. Specialet konkluderer, at strategiske narrativer fungerer som organiserende rammer, der forbinder kriseforståelser, aktører, normer og politiske valg og dermed påvirker, om normkonflikter kan rummes i en fælles fortolkning eller giver anledning til synlige, konkurrerende meningsdannelser; på den måde viser specialet, at EU’s udenrigspolitiske sammenhæng ikke alene afhænger af delte værdier, men også af det narrative arbejde, der omsætter disse værdier til konkret handling.
[This abstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]